Tuesday, March 3, 2020
Anatomy of the Cerebellum and its Function
Anatomy of the Cerebellum and its Function In Latin, the word cerebellum means little brain. The cerebellum is the area of the hindbrain that controls movement coordination, balance, equilibrium and muscle tone. Like the cerebral cortex, the cerebellum is comprised of white matter and a thin, outer layer of densely folded gray matter. The folded outer layer of the cerebellum (cerebellar cortex) has smaller and more compact folds than those of the cerebral cortex. The cerebellum contains hundreds of millions of neurons for processing data. It relays information between body muscles and areas of the cerebral cortex that are involved in motor control. Cerebellum Lobes The cerebellum can be subdivided into three lobes that coordinate information received from the spinal cord and from different areas of the brain. The anterior lobe receives input primarily from the spinal cord. The posterior lobe receives input primarily from the brainstem and cerebral cortex. The flocculonodular lobe receives input from the cranial nuclei of the vestibular nerve. The vestibular nerve is a component of the vestibulocochlear cranial nerve. The transmission of nerve input and output signals from the cerebellum occurs through bundles of nerve fibers called cerebral peduncles. These nerve bundles run through the midbrain connecting the forebrain and hindbrain. Cerebellum Function The cerebellum is involved in several functions including: Fine movement coordinationBalance and equilibriumMuscle toneSense of body position The cerebellum processes information from the brain and peripheral nervous system for balance and body control. Activities such as walking, hitting a ball and playing a video game all involve the cerebellum. The cerebellum helps us to have fine motor control while inhibiting involuntary movement. It coordinates and interprets sensory information in order to produce fine motor movements. It also calculates and corrects informational discrepancies in order to produce the desired movement. Cerebellum Location Directionally, the cerebellum is situated at the base of the skull, above the brainstem and beneath the occipital lobes of the cerebral cortex. Cerebellum Damage Damage to the cerebellum may result in difficulty with motor control. Individuals may have problems maintaining balance, tremors, lack of muscle tone, speech difficulties, lack of control over eye movement, difficulty in standing upright, and an inability to perform accurate movements. The cerebellum may become damaged due to a number of factors. Toxins including alcohol, drugs, or heavy metals can cause damage to nerves in the cerebellum that lead to a condition called ataxia. Ataxia involves the loss of muscle control or coordination of movement. Damage to the cerebellum may also occur as a result of stroke, head injury, cancer, cerebral palsy, viral infection, or nervous system degenerative diseases. Divisions of the Brain: Hindbrain The cerebellum is included in the division of the brain called the hindbrain. The hindbrain is divided into two subregions called the metencephalon and myelencephalon. The cerebellum and pons are located in the upper region of the hindbrain known as the metencephalon. Sagittally, the pons is anterior to the cerebellum and relays sensory information between the cerebrum and cerebellum.
Sunday, February 16, 2020
Ebola Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Ebola - Essay Example Such an observation allows the authors to focus on the magnitude of risks associated with the eventual adoption of the measures that may be suggested to mitigate the possibilities of an outbreak in the region. The authors proceed to further mention of the cases that have been diagnosed within the American soil. The preparedness of the city is further weighed against that of regions such as texas, which have already registered possible outbreaks of the disease. The authors are keen to outline that the prospective address of the disease from findings its way to the communities in New York remains best considered under the description of collective efforts. In an effort that remains related towards the harmonization of the medical facilities in the city, the authors seek to consolidate the respective outfits of healthcare that are related to the city and harmonize them towards developing a steady outfit that aims at addressing the virus. In that effect, the authors propose the possible avenues upon which the detection and subsequent control of an outbreak may be considered. Their work does not place into consideration the possible effects that may be related to animals vectors. The focus is oriented on the human patients that traffic into New York from the various infected areas. Such allows for the description of their proposals as being narrowed on the control of human to human transmissions. Additionally, the prospective process of EVD detection has been mentioned intensely in their work. It is further argued that the adoption of a functional detection systems remains the ideal path upon which the address of the ailment is considered. The authors proceed to make references to experiences registered in the address of the disease in other regions. Their attention is oriented on the plight of eighty-eight patients that were being screened of the disease, with the aim of gathering the required experience
Sunday, February 2, 2020
Surreal (subject is hair and make up) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words
Surreal (subject is hair and make up) - Essay Example This unorthodox artistic style is applied to a perception of how hair trends may be in the future, but the distortion and exaggeration incorporated into the hair style is an attempt to drive the viewer beyond what is traditional and familiar. The viewer’s sentiment may range anywhere from surprise or delight, to perplexity and even confusion, and in the extreme even a strong dislike or disgust. This type of artistic style is disturbing to many, and not a few will decide that they find it unacceptable and for being vulgar and boorish. Many famous artists are not appreciated during their lifetimes; their creations are mocked and derided, and this is not difficult to imagine in the case of Modigliani and other avant-garde artists. People could not understand the artist’s vision and his concept of reality, at least during his lifetime, because contemporaries are exposed to the same environment, and being exposed to the same context, the normal expectation is to perceive things in the same context. However, a good artist is ahead of his time, and he sees things beyond the context of his contemporaries. In most cases, visionary art is ignored during the artist’s lifetime, but appreciated by succeeding generations, so it is only after the artist’s death and when many of his works have been destroyed, lost or scattered, that the pieces of art become valued, even priceless. It is thus a pity that while the artist lives, his philosophy conveyed through his art and lifestyle are lost to oblivion, only to resurface later on and accorded the value it truly deserves. It is this timeless element of Modigliani’s distortion and exaggeration that I wish to capture and translate to a fashion statement for the future. The distortion and exaggeration works to enhance that element in the artist’s vision that escapes and is lost to the everyday observer, and the emphasis is to draw the ordinary person’s
Saturday, January 25, 2020
The Techniques For Requirement Elicitation Information Technology Essay
The Techniques For Requirement Elicitation Information Technology Essay By analyzing these processes it will give an understanding up to a level enough that this document can act as an easy to read and simple enough reference document for students who wants to 1.4                 Background As we know that the requirement elicitation is an ongoing problem area which may cause to the failure of the produce system. There are many problems i.e. problems in the system scope, many other problems are still present in the development of the system, which may cause to the failure of the system or leads to high maintenance cost of the system [1]. In the requirement elicitation there are many people evolve and have different perception about the system. From many years requirement elicitation is a research focus area and researchers have developed many techniques. As Zarinah M.K and Siti Salwah S mentioned in their paper Eliciting requirements should be carried out in a form, which encourages participation of all the stakeholders[1]. In this paper they focus on the participation of all the stakeholders during requirements gathering. For this purpose, to follow the requirement elicitation process, techniques and shared document with all the participation. Ann M. Hickey and Alan M. Davis mentioned in their paper that software development consists of many knowledge-intensive processes. One of the most difficult to model, however, is requirement elicitation[5]. In their paper they present a mathematical model of requirement elicitation process[5] which explains critical knowledge and how to select the best requirement elicitation technique. Their work in this area shows that the requirement elicitation is a very critical process in the software development process. Many models and frameworks are introduced by the researchers for good and correct requirements gathering. Some problems are on the user side because some time the user cant explain the scope of the system. So for this purpose most researchers focus on the requirement elicitation techniques which help the user to understand the system scope. Software industry is a very huge market and in todays world our lives are so influenced with software products that we are highly dependent on them from paying or bills, buying food, bank transactions, traveling,  businesses to communicate world wide, research, mobile phones etc.  But along the way what we dont see is that a lot of software products are failing today, many software companies are getting bankrupt and most softwares are breathing their last breaths as they will soon be replaced with a much better softwares well designed, less bugs, more features and efficient enough. One can ask a question why are softwares failing and why are companies getting bankrupt due to a software that is no more needed in the market.  The answer can be very complicated and long but to summarize it, its lack of acquiring proper requirements before starting to write the actual code, failing to understand the current and future trends of the software to be built, lack of understanding the market and opportunities and finally choosing the right technologies to implement the software product. In order to understand all these gray areas before writing the software product one needs to adapt and follow some processes, by doing so a set of valuable knowledge will be gained that can help the software to be following the current trend and survive in the market for much longer period. These processes includes a) Brainstorming b) interviewing c) Surveys d) Prototyping e) Focus Group f) Workshops g) Observation 2          Research Methodology Our work in this area is to analyze the requirement elicitation techniques, based on this we  will be able to explore these different techniques and see how can it benefit us in different areas. For this purpose we studied the related research work and requirement elicitation books, and in listed some of the techniques that can be used for requirement gathering process. For the analysis we already studied the related research work to understand these techniques. During this process we will highlight the psros and cons of these different techniques, which can help different targeted audience such as students, start up organizations and other software professionals. In the process of methodology we got an opportunity to meet with different software professional and got some valuable feedback that could help us understand how important all these processes are and what are possible implications and drawbacks if there are any. Finally after defining all the techniques with their Pros and Cons, it will clearly specify the importance of each technique and weather it is possible to skip some of them during the requirement gathering process. And also the implications of skipping any of these well  known techniques. 3   Brief Introduction to requirement elicitation techniques. 3.1                    Brainstorming: Brainstorming is the name given to a situation when a group of people meet to generate new ideas around a specific area of interest[6].In Brainstorming Technique may be involve one person or group of people.They set to gather and discuss the requirements and new ideas of the system. It is a special technique which help you to think about various answers and questions. Advantages Of Brainstorming: Brainstorming technique is low cost. The group which involve in this technique, not need to be high qualified. It is very easy technique to understand. It help you to create new ideas and get answers of old question. It provide widespread involvement throughout the group. Brainstorming does not need more resources. Disadvantages Of Brainstorming: If the group is not properly organised, it can take more time. One cant describe his opinion in front of group. Due to go into the detail that something does not use. Some people afraid to talk with leadership. Not good for large group which may cause that some people say at the same time. There are repeat of opinions, if the people doesnt give attention[7]. 3.2                    interviewing Interviews are in-person meetings where the business analyst asks questions to get information from the stakeholder[8]. Advantages Of Interviewing: Good for complex topic The interviewer can deeply understand the interviewee views. In interview high response rate are produced. Disadvantages Of Interviewing: Inconsistent  interviewer may effect the data. This technique is time consuming. There are small people involved. The interviewer may ask closed questions [9]. 3.3                   Surveys In survey technique all the information of a system may gathered anonymously. In survey all the general aspects of the software are asked to answer. Advantages: Survey is good for a large respondent. In survey large of information may be collected. This is a standardised technique which free from all types of errors. This technique is cheaper. Disadvantages: This technique focus on subject, motivation etc its not easy to understand the reason. 3.4                    Prototyping In this technique minimum version of softwares are written with few functionalities than the actual product in itself. It only simulates few modules/features of the final solution. Advantages: Software designers and implementers can get valuable feedback from the customers. it can allow the software engineers to know and verify the internal complexities of the system. Early detection of faults in design. Early detection of performance bottle neck in the application. Customers can verify the implementation and technology. Disadvantages: Excessive development time to develop the prototype. Large investment of resources to complete this. Unclear objectives can be confused by the developers. Insufficient analysis. 3.5                    Focus Group Focus group is a group which raise some issues and questions about the software and ask them from the system users. Advantages: It can help generate a lot of good ideas and opinions. group discussion can help find weaknesses in the early stage of design and architecture. group discussions can generate finest solutions. Disadvantage: it can lead to disagreement and arguments. discussions can last for very long hours and several days without any conclusion. 3.6                    Workshops Workshops is the technique to share different ideas about different technologies by doing presentation and meeting between people from different backgrounds. Collecting valuable feedback and suggestions and business opportunities. Advantages: Expanding social network among people from same background. Exchanging and sharing up to date knowledge. Exploring new business opportunities. Attracting investments for the business. Making new customers. Disadvantages: It involves travelling to other countries. It consumes week of business time. It demands a lot of preparation and time. 3.7         Observation By observation we means to look the requirements for the  developing system with full concentration[3]. Advantages of observation It provides varieties to the stockholders[a]. It provides us the detail information about the developing system[z] How the user will interact with the system, so it give this type of results in advance. Disadvantages of the observation The requirements may not be up to dated. This requirements always evolve and need revisions. some requirements may not be implementable and needs to be up to the facts and possibilities. 4 Results Brief analysis of the mentioned techniques with explained advantages and disadvantages we can summarize our result in following way. As in todays industry majority of softwares are trying to compete or survive against other softwares that seems to be producing much better than their previous predecessors. This improvement in softwares is the result of acquiring/collecting appropriate knowledge through the processes/techniques that we have mentioned including others. Hence it is difficult to say which one is better than the other or which one can we skip because the more information we can collect the more knowledge we will have about market, future scope, what technologies to select, how much can it earn, for how long can a product survive and how the product can improve in coming years. Attaining all the mentioned points means that we have to go through all the techniques at one stage or another, if not earlier then definitely later at some other stage as long as the time and resour ces are enough. One of the quotation might explain it very well which is Writing system software is like planning a family, if you make a mistake you have to live with it for 20 years[10] So the more knowledge we have about what we are making and why we are writing, the less mistakes we will do. 5. Conclusions Hence in short we can conclude from our findings in this research that all software industries while planning to kick off new project/software our any new start up company about to take place. This document will act as a must have for them they would need to define these techniques and make them part of their company processes. The more the knowledge is acquired about the technology in the beginning the less mistakes they make and  more chances would be for company and software to succeed.  Also this document can help students and software developers who want to write their private applications and want them to launch in the softwares market. 6         Literature references [1]. Supporting Collaborative Requirements Elicitation Using Focus Group Discussion    Technique by Zarinah M.k and Siti Salwah S. [2]  IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON SOFTWARE ENGINEERING, VOL. 24, NO. 12, DECEMBER 1998 Requirements Elicitation and Validation with Real World Scenes Peter Haumer, Klaus Pohl, Member, IEEE, and Klaus Weidenhaupt [3] Field research method and type of observation by Throchim, B. 1999 [5]. Requirements Elicitation and Elicitation Technique Selection: A Model for Two Knowledge-Intensive Software Development Processes. By Ann M. Hickey and Alan M. Davis University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. [6 ]http://www.brainstorming.co.uk/tutorials/whatisbrainstorming.html [7]  http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_advantages_and_disadvantages_of_brainstorming [8] http://ezinearticles.com/?Requirements-Elicitation-Techniquesid=1901263 [9] http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Advantages_and_disadvantages_of_interviews [10]http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~iany/consultancy/proverbs.htm
Friday, January 17, 2020
A Life in Prague 1941-1968 Essay
Life under the Soviets was as cruel as that under the Germans. The end of German occupation signaled a new era of political tension and economic dislocation for the people of Czechoslovakia. After the Communist coup in 1948, the Czech people were once again introduced to the concept of totalitarian brutality. Many people were tortured and imprisoned by the state police for ‘subversive activities. Prison camps, almost equal in ‘splendor’ and ‘brutality’ were erected across the country. However, unlike the Nazi experience, this ‘new experience’ was never heard in the international stage. The tragedy of the Second World War became once again the scenery of Prague. However, much of the chapter’s content (pp. 93-143) seemed to focus on the hardships of the author. Kovaly seemed to have been frustrated with her role both as a woman and citizen. At times, she complained on the government’s lack of political will to guarantee the equality of women and men. Kovaly lived the life of a wealthy woman. She bought luxurious items, attempted to create a foundation (for children), and sought the support of top officials for financing her projects. Because she was the wife of a deputy minister, she was expected to participate in minor political meetings, and to become a role model to other women. Rudolf’s arrest turned her world upside down. Although an ardent Communist, his husband was suspected to be an ally of the West. Kovaly asked help from Ludvik Frejka, the head of the Economic Commission. Frejka, however, refused to help her. After a few weeks, Frejka was arrested and executed along with Kovaly’s husband. Kovaly languished in pain. She cursed the system for its anti-Semitic orientation. She wanted to denounce the brutality of the Soviet-led government, but had little power to demonstrate it. Her husband’s execution was portrayed as the continuation of German tyranny (under the guise of a Communist Party). She persistently argued that ‘being a loyal Communist does not guarantee safety, if you are a Jew, practicing or not. ’ It can be argued that Kovaly’s pessimistic attitude against the Soviet-led regime was borne out of hatred and repulsion. The Communists had driven the Germans but failed to instill the principles of equality and humanity into the hearts of the anti-Semitic population of Prague. In this chapter, Kovaly explained the consequences of Communist rule of Czechoslovakia. She argued that the Communist occupation did not free the Czech people from slavery. It was an instrument in the creation of a new political and economic form of slavery – slavery which is disguised by the principles of economic equality and political tolerance. She argued that while the war brought national shame and indignation to the country, the Communist occupation brought deprivation and perpetual fear to the common people. According to Kovaly, the cessation of freedom for the sake of necessity, economic equality, Party disciple, and even for the ‘false’ glory of the country, would only lead to the eventual demise of individual truths – truths which make individuals happy and content. Kovaly’s assertions are supported by many historians. For Toynbee, the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia signaled the end of freedom and individual merit. Toynbee argued that the real goal of Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia was the eventual isolation of Western democracy. The country served as a bait for the Western powers to relinquished their claim of democracy in the East, particularly Czechoslovakia. For Ozment, the Soviet occupation of the country was necessary because Czechoslovakia served as the basement of German military power during the early 1940s. Czech support for Germany proved to be decisive and convincing. Hence, according to Ozment, the brutality of the Soviet occupation was a testimony to ‘revenge’ and ‘destruction’ of political freedom.
Thursday, January 9, 2020
Wednesday, January 1, 2020
Robert K. Merton (1910-2003) - Sociologist Profile
Best known for developing theories of deviance, as well as the concepts of self-fulfilling prophecy and role model, Robert K. Merton is considered one of Americas most influential social scientists. Robert K. Merton was born July 4, 1910 and died February 23, 2003. Early Life and Education Robert K. Merton was born Meyer R. Schkolnick in Philadelphia into a working class Eastern European Jewish Immigrant family. He changed his name at the age of 14 to Robert Merton, which evolved out of a teenage career as an amateur magician as he blended the names of famous magicians. Merton attended Temple College for undergraduate work and Harvard for graduate work, studying sociology at both and earning his doctorate degree in 1936. Career and Later Life Merton taught at Harvard until 1938 when he became professor and chairman of the Department of Sociology at Tulane University. In 1941 he joined the Columbia University faculty where he was named to the Universitys highest academic rank, University Professor, in 1974. In 1979 Merton retired from the University and became an adjunct faculty member at Rockefeller University and was also the first Foundation Scholar at the Russell Sage Foundation. He retired from teaching altogether in 1984. Merton received many awards and honors for his research. He was one of the first sociologists elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the first American sociologists to be elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. In 1994, he was awarded the National Medal of Science for his contributions to the field and for having founding the sociology of science. He was the first sociologist to receive the award. Throughout his career, more than 20 universities awarded him honorary degrees, including Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and Chicago as well as several universities abroad. He is also credited as the creator of the focus group research method. Merton was very passionate about the sociology of science and was interested in the interactions and importance between social and cultural structures and science. He carried out extensive research in the field, developing the Merton Thesis, which explained some of the causes of the Scientific Revolution. His other contributions to the field deeply shaped and helped developed fields such as the study of bureaucracy, deviance, communications, social psychology, social stratification, and social structure. Merton was also one of the pioneers of modern policy research, studying things such as housing projects, the use of social research by the ATT Corporation, and medical education. Among the notable concepts that Merton developed are unintended consequences, the reference group, role strain, manifest function, role model, and self-fulfilling prophecy. Major Publications Social Theory and Social Structure (1949)The Sociology of Science (1973)Sociological Ambivalence (1976)On The Shoulders of Giants: A Shandean Postscript (1985)On Social Structure and Science References Calhoun, C. (2003). Robert K. Merton Remembered. http://www.asanet.org/footnotes/mar03/indextwo.html Johnson, A. (1995). The Blackwell Dictionary of Sociology. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)